BARTOLOME & SANTIAGO ISLANDS
It is hard for me to believe that in another part of the world one could have a trip any better than this one. Honestly, where else on earth could you have a day as full of fantastic experiences as the ones that we have had today? Just to name few, we climbed to the top of a small volcano where we learned about geology and saw parasitic cones. Then we walked across a golden sand dune, and in the ankle deep water off the beach, and only a few feet from us, we saw several white-tipped reef sharks. A few minutes later, three Galapagos hawks appeared and flew just above our heads.
We returned to the landing beach and when the snorkelers waded into the water they had an incredible encounter with an overly curious and friendly Galápagos penguin. This cheeky bird came right up close to the group of people and started to peck their wetsuits and their snorkels and investigated each one of them. He was a highlight for all of us—even the naturalists!
In the afternoon we went into the water once again, this time off a black sand beach. A young sea lion sniffed some of the guests and one of them got a whisker-tickle kiss. As we snorkeled farther out into the deeper water, a couple of fearless sea turtles let every one approach them. We swam so close, that we were practically riding on top of them!
During the last afternoon walk we witnessed an incredible feeding frenzy with dozens of blue-footed boobies, brown noddy terns, and pelicans. As a grand finale, just off shore, we spotted a killer whale (orca)! It came very close to the coast as if for a good bye. So, please tell me if I am wrong, but I sincerely believe that having a day packed with this number of spectacular events is amazing. Only these magical islands permit such a day; this is something that you can not experience anywhere else in the world!
It is hard for me to believe that in another part of the world one could have a trip any better than this one. Honestly, where else on earth could you have a day as full of fantastic experiences as the ones that we have had today? Just to name few, we climbed to the top of a small volcano where we learned about geology and saw parasitic cones. Then we walked across a golden sand dune, and in the ankle deep water off the beach, and only a few feet from us, we saw several white-tipped reef sharks. A few minutes later, three Galapagos hawks appeared and flew just above our heads.
We returned to the landing beach and when the snorkelers waded into the water they had an incredible encounter with an overly curious and friendly Galápagos penguin. This cheeky bird came right up close to the group of people and started to peck their wetsuits and their snorkels and investigated each one of them. He was a highlight for all of us—even the naturalists!
In the afternoon we went into the water once again, this time off a black sand beach. A young sea lion sniffed some of the guests and one of them got a whisker-tickle kiss. As we snorkeled farther out into the deeper water, a couple of fearless sea turtles let every one approach them. We swam so close, that we were practically riding on top of them!
During the last afternoon walk we witnessed an incredible feeding frenzy with dozens of blue-footed boobies, brown noddy terns, and pelicans. As a grand finale, just off shore, we spotted a killer whale (orca)! It came very close to the coast as if for a good bye. So, please tell me if I am wrong, but I sincerely believe that having a day packed with this number of spectacular events is amazing. Only these magical islands permit such a day; this is something that you can not experience anywhere else in the world!
